Rack



F. J. MACDONALD.

RACK.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 29 ms.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 SHEE-TSSHEET 1.

F. J. MACDONALD.

RACK

APPLlCATlON FILED MAY 29, 1918.

1, 350,662 Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2- I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK J. MACDONALD, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOB, TO THE FIRESTONE TIRE AND RUBBER COMPANY, OF AKRON, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

Knox.

Application filed. May 29,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it lmown that I, FRANK J. MAC- DONALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron, county of Summit, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Racks, of which the following is a specification.

ing chamber and cured.

In the manufacture of various articles of rubber, or rubber and fabric, it is frequently the practice to assemble the stock in large reels, provided with suflicient means for the circulation of air into and through the fabric so that the stock may be cooled, dried. or if desired, transferred into a heat- It has been customary in the manufacture of these articles, particularly boots and shoes, to carry the stock on large rotating reels having a number of arms, usually .four,-constituting guides in which sticks may be placed. The fabric or gum and liner are fastened to the reel and the reel revolved, a single stick being dropped into each arm as the reel revolves, whereby the material being treated is wound up in an open spiral. As will be understood from this description the apparatus at present in general use is awkward to handle, and presents a great many difficulties in operation.

The reel or rack forming the subject matter of this application is designed to be compact and easy to operate and does not comprise any parts which are liable to be broken or lost. It is also light and portable and may be easily transported into the curing chamber. Although it has been my purpose to design this rack for use in factories manufacturing articles of rubber or rubber and fabric, its use is not limited as narrowly as stated, but is of general application, and may be advantageously: em ployed in various industries.

In the drawings accompanying this application, is shown one embodiment of my invention, but the details of construction are not essential and may be varied without altering the scope of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved rack.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation.

The rack comprises two rectangular frames of side bars 10, preferably of angle iron and top and bottom cross bars 11 with additional connecting bars 12 midway of the frame. Connecting the two side mem Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

1918. Serial No. 237,214.

bers across the front and rear of the framework are horizontal and diagonal bars 13. The uprights 10 extend downward below the main body of the rack to form legs 1%, thus affording a space at the bottom of the rack into which a truck can be run for the purpose of transporting the rack from place to place, such as from the calenders or where the stock is prepared to the curing chamber or to a drying room, and then to the cutting table where the stock is pre pared for the operators.

flidway of the central side bars 12 is Secured a plate 15 from which diagonal bars 16 extend to each corner of the side frame. Rotatably mounted on the diagonal bars across the framework are a plurality of parallel rollers 20 which form the supports over which the material is led. A

' On the central side bars 12 near the center of the apparatus is located a roller 17 and on the outside of the apparatus is located a second roller 18. Each of the rollers 17 and 18 is provided with a removable handle 19 by which it may be turned. From the roller 18 extends a flexible strip 21 which passes over a roller 22 and then over each roller 20 in the form of what may be called a rectangular spiral to the roller 17 where it may be wound. The direction of the strip ma be reversed by operating the roller 18. The strip 21 may be in the form of a single breadth of cloth or other suitable material extending all the way across the rollers, where gum or other stock having little strength of itself is to be assembled on the reel, or in tapes on the ends of the rollers or a single tape in the middle of the reel. The material to be treated may be secured in any fashion to the beginning of the flexible leading strip so that it is supported by the strip throughout the apparatus, or one end of the strip only may be attached and used as a leader if the material under treatment has enough inherent strength.

The shape of the rack is not essential nor are other details necessary to an embodiment of my invention. I believe that I am the first to construct an apparatus in which a compact easily operated rack is provided over which material is led in an open spiral over stationary rollers on a framework having no movable parts or in an open path by a flexible leader or supporting strip.

Changes and modifications may be made scribed the combination of a framework, a

series of rollers on the framework, a flexible strip passed over the rollers in a spiral having spaces between the turnsof the spiral, and a roller located centrally of the spiral on which the flexible strip is adapted to be wound.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a framework, a series of rollers on the framework, a flexible strip passed over the rollers in a spiral having spaces between the turns of the spiral, a roller located centrally of the spiral, a second roller located outside of the spiral, the strip being attached at its ends to the rollers,

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a rectangular framework, diagonal bars on the frame- 'work, a series of spaced rollers on the diagonal' bars, a'flexible strip passed over the rollers in a spiral "with spaces between the turns of thespiral, a roller located centrally of the spiral to which thestrip is attached.

4:. In an apparatus of the character de scribed,-tlie combination of a rectangular framework, diagonal bars on the framework, a series ,of spaced rollers on the diagonal bars, a flexible strip trained over the rollers in a spiral with spaces between the turns of the spiral, a roller located centrally of the spiral to which one end of the bars and extending across the framework in parallel spaced relation, and a windup roller in the center of the frame.

6. A rack for storing and handling sheets of rubber or fabric'and rubber, comprising a rigid framework, aseries of rollers on said framework arranged in diagonal rows in spaced parallel relation, a roller located centrally of said framework and means for rotating the last named roller. 7 v

7 A'rack for storing and handling thin fiexible material', comprising a framework, a plurality of rollers in said framework, a flexible supporting sheet passed over said rollers in a circuitous path, a winding roller located at one end of the path and a. second winding roller located at the other end of the path, andmeans for rotating the winding rollers to. pass the sheet through said pathin either direction.

8. A rack for storing and handling thin flexible-material, comprising a framework, a plurality of rollers on said framework', a flexible supporting sheet passed over said rollers in an open circuitous path, the turns of saidsheet being spaced apart, and means for drawing thesheet over said path in both directions. r

V FRANK-J. MACDONALD. 

